


agreement

by kiyala



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Gen, Jaegercon Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-08-04
Packaged: 2017-12-22 09:53:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/911840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Hermann and Newton agree on something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	agreement

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my "the wall" square for [Jaegercon Bingo](http://jaegercon.tumblr.com/post/57225250646/).

In the years that they have worked together in various parts of the world, in different K-Science labs, Hermann is yet to find a single thing that he and Newton can agree on. They're polar opposites; Newton is loud, and cannot stand to be ignored, while Hermann would like nothing more than to be left alone so that he can get on with his work in peace.

It was fine when the PPDC was bigger and they didn't need to work together as closely as they did with other researchers. There was still the annoyance of having to work with Newton, but those moments were few and far in-between. Hermann wouldn't quite call them pleasant, but when he finds out that not only has the entire K-Science division been stripped down to just the two of them, but that they are expected to share the same space, he thinks back on those infrequent collaborations with a tolerance that can only be found in retrospect.

Working with Newton all day every day is a very special kind of torture, but Hermann sticks to his decision to stay where he is, to help the remnants of the Jaeger Program instead of throwing his lot in with the Wall of Life Program that is sure to fail. He hasn't spoken to his father since he made the decision and even though Newton has poked and prodded at everything else in Hermann's life, he hasn't brought up Gottlieb Senior even once. Hermann has quickly learned to appreciate the small things.

Bickering with Newton and getting irritated over the small things helps Hermann remain calm and collected when he's dealing with the much bigger issues at hand. He's not grateful for it—he'd never be grateful for the screaming matches he has with Newton about the acceptable hours to blast his rock music ( _none_ ) and the fact that they're only sharing the lab because they don't have a choice. With that said, it _does_ help, unexpected as that may be, and Hermann quickly comes to realise that Newton is full of surprises. 

When they've been working for too long without a break, it's Newton who will go and get them food—even if he uses the opportunity to steal food from the fridge that has clearly been marked as Hermann's—and it helps them get through the late nights, the constant pressure and the reports that they need to write up for Pentecost, to get him up to speed on what they've found. When Hermann's leg is aching, Newton pushes a chair over for him. 

When Hermann is in a bad mood, Newton's right there for him to argue with and then one afternoon, when they're both feeling worn down by the fact that there are still too many questions and nowhere near enough answers and the television is showing the latest news coverage on the Wall of Life Program, Newton gives him the biggest surprise yet.

"Wall of Life." Newton mutters under his breath and snorts. "Are they really stupid enough to think that's going to work?"

"What did you say?" Hermann asks, looking up.

"Oh—look, I know your dad's one of the key players in that whole thing, but seriously, it's not going to work. I don't get how anyone can think that a coastal wall is going to stop a Kaiju, if our best Jaegers can't do it. It's stupid."

With a quiet laugh, Hermann shakes his head. "I agree with you. If I didn't, I would be _there_ , not here."

In response, Newton just stares at him in utter disbelief. "Did we just _agree_ on something? Is that what just happened?"

Hermann is equally surprised, but he's unwilling to let it show, because he knows that it will only wind Newton up even more. "We were bound to agree on something eventually—"

"This is great, this is progress! We're actually getting along! Hermann—can I call you Hermann? I'm calling you Hermann—"

"I'd prefer that you didn't—"

"Hermann, this means that we've found common ground! Who knows what else we'll end up agreeing on? I think we're finally getting somewhere."

"That's…" Hermann blinks, trying to think of what to say, and how to make it sound _convincing_. "How wonderful."


End file.
